Freak accidents do happen. Even a seemingly harmless gymnastics practice at home can turn into a horrible tragedy. That is exactly what happened to 5-year-old girl Eden Hoelscher, who was simply doing a backbend at her home when the freak accident occurred.
Eden was paralyzed from the waist down, according to ABC News. The accident happened when Eden fell while doing some gymnastics moves in the living room.
Her mom Kylee Hoelscher and 9-year-old sister Isabella found Eden lying on the floor while crying. The mom consoled her daughter until she calmed down, walked her to her bedroom to put on her boots and drove to the store to go shopping. Eden began to complain about her legs while on their way to the store so Hoelscher decided to go back home.
"She kind of looked at me and said, 'Mommy, it feels like my legs are asleep,' but her legs were in this strange position, so I said, 'Eden, move your legs. She said, 'I can't.' Then, I stood her up and her legs buckled under her and we went to the emergency room," Hoelscher told ANC News. Eden was then taken to the Torrance Memorial Medical Center where the doctors found a spine contusion through an MRI.
After staying at the hospital for 52 days, the doctors told Hoelscher about Eden's paralysis. "The damage, it's her entire spine and it doesn't make any sense at all," Hoelscher explained.
"You go from watching your 100 percent independent kid who dressed herself, put her hair in a pony tail ... to not being able to get out of bed and it's almost impossible to bear," the mother added. Eden not only lost her ability to walk but her bowel and bladder control as well.
Despite this terrible ordeal, Eden has remained a happy child. "She's still her same laughing, giggly, silly self," Hoelscher revealed. "In physical therapy, she won't cry or get mad, she'll just try as hard as she can."
A GoFundMe page called "Stand For Eden" has been set up to raise money for some of Eden's medical needs that are not covered by her health insurance. Parents can reduce the chances of injuries by always supervising their children while doing physical activities, according to Caring for our Children.
